He says amateur cooks, and most Americans, are hunters who shop with a list and go about tracking down the items the need. And usually in a hurry.

Great chefs, his theory goes, are more likely to be gatherers, who go shopping just to see what looks good, what's in season or what strikes them as interesting.

A good Saturday project is to go through the pantry, throw out anything that's spoiled, organize things so you can readily find them (lazy susans, see-through containers, stacking shelving can help).

Write down in a looseleaf notebook what you have on hand; keep this in a kitchen drawer or inside an envelope taped to the pantry door. This is your main "inventory," to be consulted when making your shopping list. Whenever you run out of something, jot it down in the inventory or on a shopping list.

In Hawai'i's hot and humid climate, keeping large stocks of some foods is just an invitation to spoilage unless you've got loads of freezer space or a climate-controlled home. Investing in stackable, see-through airtight containers can help, but buying only what you can use before the bugs arrive makes good sense, too.

So don't overstock. Consider splitting large containers of goods with friends, family or neighbors.

Spend a few minutes before shopping to figure out what you'll need for the coming week — whether it be raw foods or frozen or semi-prepared products. Since most of us find ourselves away from home several nights a week, you likely need to plan just three or four dinners, plus breakfast foods and lunches, depending on your family's eating habits.

Assemble a shopping list and buy only what's on the list. Then stay out of the store until the following week.

"It may take 15 minutes or so on the front end," says Mitchell, "but you make it up in the time spent at the store, and you keep your budget in check. You can take advantage of your store's weekly sales when coming up with recipe and menu ideas."

Pay attention to where your store places things you need. (Is the drink you want for your toddler in the juice section or the baby aisle? Are protein bars by the cereal or the vitamins?)

Start shopping where the bulkier dry goods are and end with the fresh foods around the perimeter; this keeps you from crushing delicate items with heavier things, and prevents chilled foods from warming up.

Know that the perimeter of the store is purposely designed to slow you down. "The big outside aisle is called the racetrack," says Crawford, who studies the way new products are marketed.

"That's where the shopper is encouraged to browse," she says, spending money on things like pricey cheeses or imported olives, or checking out new products.

To stick to your list, avoid stopping at the little islands and eye-catching "end caps" at the ends of the aisles.

Sorensen suggests shopping early on Friday afternoons. By then, much of the stocking for the weekend is done, which means you get fresh food without the crowds. (If you have a long enough lunch hour, try ducking out to shop then — which in itself will limit the time spent in the store. Store refrigerated and frozen foods with ice in a cooler in your car.)

Ask the store manager or cashier when the slow times are so you can adjust your shopping schedule, Mitchell says.

Then you can pop in for just those things (but don't get seduced by things not on your list).

This is important because, the fresher the food, the longer it will last.

And it's also another reason to buy produce and fruit at farmers markets, which are on the increase here.

"In my supermarket shopper traffic research, people with coupons bought more items than people without them," says Kenneth Herbst, an assistant professor of marketing in the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. "Though they saved money on the specific items for which they had coupons, their bill in the end was higher."

Carry a calculator, or use the one on your phone, to keep track of spending as you go through the store.

"People tend to spend less if they pay with cash," Crawford says. "It's tactile and immediate."

Unlike using your debit card, using cash can remind you how much you've emptied your wallet after you've filled up your cart.

Tanya Bricking Leach is a former staff writer at The Honolulu Advertiser.